8 Reasons You Should Convert Your Printed Activity Catalog to Digital

Residents’ expectations for how they interact with their local government are changing. Inspired by digital innovations from the private sector and influenced by the pandemic’s contactless service movement, today’s residents want personalized, frictionless, singular digital interactions with their local government. This desire includes how they prefer to obtain information on community events, classes, and leagues and pay for memberships and registrations.

If your parks and recreation department still exclusively provides your annual community guide or seasonal class registration booklet in hard copy, it’s time to go digital. Here are eight reasons why:

Eight Reasons Parks and Recreation Activity Lists to Go Digital

1. Residents Start Their Research in a Browser

Nearly 48 percent of 16 to 24-year-olds have used the Internet to follow news and events. That percentage increases to 49 percent for adults ages 25 to 34 and increases further to 52 percent for adults ages 35 to 44 and nearly 55 percent for adults 45 to 54. Not surprisingly, 59 percent of adults ages 55 to 64 use the Internet to follow news and events. This data underscores the importance of ensuring your activity information is accessible from your local government website and integration recreation management system.

2. Residents are searching and registering for events using a mobile device

Nearly 60 percent of online searches are performed from a mobile device. Print-only community guides won’t get your mobile-minded citizens registered to attend community events.

3. Digital Recreation Marketing Is Better For The Environment

If you produce a 20-page community guide and print 1,000 copies, 20,000 sheets of paper will end up in (we hope!) a recycling bin once the current season is over. Digital editions eliminate environmental impact, which, as lovers of the great outdoors, gives us all the feels.

4. Updates To Printed Content are Difficult or Impossible

Change happens. Perhaps interest in your new youth Karate class booms, and you need to add a fourth section on a Wednesday. Perhaps you need to move your Senior Salsa class to a new facility while your facility team paints your senior center. Or maybe you need to update the instructor for your Chess club. With a digital catalog, you can make updates and corrections immediately when your catalog is digital.

5. Digital Marketing Enables Immediate Registration

Residents who read about community events, classes, and leagues online are likelier to take immediate action and register. For communities that use online registration systems, sharing activity catalog information digitally enables potential customers to click one button to be taken to a sign-up and payment page — eliminating such barriers to engagement as busy lifestyles and lost to-do lists.

6. Accessibility

Digital catalogs are accessible anytime, anywhere, making it easier for residents to find information on community events, classes, and programs. If your website and Registration Management software have built-in accessibility functionality for low and no-vision users, they might be the only accessible option for community members unable to consume traditionally printed content.

7. Digital Marketing Enables Data Analytics That Can Inform Future Marketing Decisions

With a digital marketing strategy and a recreation management software platform that includes reporting capabilities, you’ll know precisely how residents learned about available classes and can strategically plan future event promotions.

8. Digital Marketing Is Cost-Efficient

Regarding the conscientious allocation of taxpayer dollars, no budget has room for wasted, ineffective marketing spend. Investing in a recreation management software solution that will allow you to track registrations and help you promote events will produce a higher long-term ROI than spending on printed booklets annually.

We Can Help You Go Digital

Switching to digital catalogs can have numerous benefits for your parks and recreation department, including enhanced accessibility, cost savings, and improved environmental sustainability. Ready to take the first step in your digital transformation journey and convert your printed activity catalog to digital? Take a self-guided tour of our Recreation Management software.